30. SE Botanical Gardens

Article by: David P. Lee

The South East Botanical Gardens:
Okinawa’s favorite gardens are back after being closed for many years! This was a beautiful sunny day and the botanical gardens have been very well restored. There are two sides to the South East Botanical Gardens, the water side and the Asian Garden side. They are located on opposite sides of the road. There are over 1,300 types of vegetation set among many leisurely paths and ponds. This garden is only minutes away from Kadena and is a beautiful place to relax. Check out their website for more details.

We discussed basic photography principles in addition to the differences between macro and close-up photography. In order to be a macro photograph, the magnification is 1:1 or larger. Anything less, is close-up photography. Haha! Remember that the depth of field not only varies with the aperture but with the subject distance as well. Keeping the aperture setting the same and simply moving closer to the subject will also decrease the depth of field. To practice the effect of blurring the background we set up a Kokeshi doll and placed it in the foreground. This blurring of the background effect is called bokeh. Notice how the shallow depth of field helps isolate the Kokeshi Doll. Try it yourself and share it here.

Directions:
Leave Kadena gate 3 and go straight on Rt 26. Drive for 2.5km and turn left. Follow the winding road for another 1.3km. The parking lot will be on the right.